As an undergraduate dance major at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I fielded my fair share of questions about my education and my career aspirations. Unfortunately, a lot of those questions were fueled by stereotypes about the professional dance world, and they often made me feel like I wasn’t being taken seriously as a student of the arts.
In my experience, the questions/statements below most often followed the phrase, ”Oh, you’re a dance major…”. Read more to learn why to avoid these conversational faux pas, and what to say instead.
“…So you want to own a studio/teach/own your own company?”
This statement can imply that a desire to be a working dancer isn’t a “good enough” career path. It also represents a narrow view of professions associated with the dance field.
INSTEAD: Try asking, ”What are your professional goals?”
“…Will I see you on Dancing with the Stars/So You Think You Can Dance?”
Though televised dance shows have increased the visibility of dance as a profession and have boosted the careers of many dancers, they are competitions, above all else. A very small segment of the nation’s dancing population winds up on such TV shows, and in addition to having impeccable dance technique, the winners of such shows have to be universally likable. It is important to recognize that not all dancers want to enter the commercial dance world, and also that televised dance shows are not a catchall for dancers’ varied interests in technical training.
Also, note that “Dancing with the Stars” is a show that highlights professional ballroom dancers. Unless the dancer you are addressing is a ballroom dancer (or a B-list celebrity), stay away from suggesting that he or she will soon be appearing on this show.
INSTEAD: Ask, “Do you watch any of the dance shows on TV? Which one is your favorite? Why?”
“…What’s your back-up plan?”
This is a terrible question to ask anyone in college (and in life post-academia, for that matter). It implies that what the respondent is pursuing professionally is not sustainable or worthwhile, which is an insult if he or she is truly passionate about the subject in question.
INSTEAD: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything. Change the subject.
“…Show me something.”
Though dance is a performance art, dancers do not exist in the world purely to entertain. If you wouldn’t ask a math major to do a math problem for you, don’t ask a dance major to show you his or her best moves.
INSTEAD: If a performance is what you’re after, show the person a dance move of your own. Many people become self-conscious about dancing in the presence of a dance major, so your confidence will be greatly appreciated.
First of all, love this! Now I’m curious if you have any suggestions for how to respond to uncomfortable questions like these…
Very well said. I came across your blog on a link on FB and felt compelled to repy. As an undergrad dance major (in the 90s) I also got these questions. No one seemed to appreciate and/or understand the varied possibilities of dance. I was able to use my education as a dance major to further my career as a dance/movement therapist and have worked in the mental health field using dance in some very positive ways. It is not just a performance art, but a healing art. I have used dance to help treat patients in psychiatric units with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, etc.; worked with teenage girls who have been abused, neglected and removed from their families, and children and families affect by war, genocide and torture. The possibilities of dance are endless. Thanks for sharing these tips and bettering the understanding of dance and good luck with your own career!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Erica. I would love to learn more about the work you have done. I plan on highlighting different careers in the dance field in later blog posts and I would love to interview you/feature your story in one of them. Shoot me an e-mail through my about.me site if you’re interested: http://about.me/ascho3#
I wrote this post because I realized that there is general lack of knowledge nationwide about what the dance world is actually like. Oftentimes the people who say these things don’t realize that they are being insulting; they are using whatever knowledge they have of the dance field to try to relate, but fall short because they end up manifesting stereotypes and/or common misconceptions. I addressed this topic on my blog because I hope that this post will be seen by the offenders, not just the offended, and that it will really make them reconsider what they say.
Thanks so much to everyone who has read and shared this post. I really appreciate your support!
Erica, Im a dance major currently and hope to get my master in dance therapy. Im hoping to achive the same things that you have done with your love of dance.Could you provided some more information on how you got to where you are ?
I’d be happy to. There’s 2 sides to it; the personal and the professional. Persoanlly I received a BFA in dance from Western Michigan University and planned on performing afterwards. After a family emergency i needed to work more at a “real job” to make more money which meant I didn’t have time to dance. After the crises ended it had been 2 years since I danced. I decided to go with my own back-up plan which I had heard about as an undergrad and that was to get my Master’s degree in d/mt.There starts the professional journey. I went to Columbia College Chicago, one of only a few accredited schools that teaches d/mt. After 2 years I graduated and found it very easy to get a job. My first job was in an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Chicago. I worked there part time while also working part time in a refugee mental health program in Chicago. That was where I did my internship and found a true passion for d/mt as I was able to merge my own love of dance and cultures with the healing process of some of the most resilient people I have ever met in my life. I still think of them often although I no longer work there. The refugees have been an inspiration for how I plan to liveand value the rest of my life (side story). With the negative feelings towards immigration these days, the funding for the program ended which meant no more job for me. I quickly found a job working with developmentally delayed adolsecent girls who had been abused and neglected and are now wards of the state. After having my daughter I was no longer willing to work the long hours and drive the long distance to that job anymore. I immediately found a job in private practice close to home. Although I don’t use d/mt as much in private practice, it still offers me additional resources to work with with my verbal counseling clients. That is my own story and there are many other populations of people who benefit from d/mt. If you haven’t already heard of the American Dance Therapy Association, you can check out their website at http://www.adta.org. Good luck!
I love this! What a brilliant idea, Alyssa. I have also received the response, “Dance major, huh. So what club do you work at?”
YES
Thanks for putting this out there! It’s great food for thought. I think we should also educate ourselves on how to talk to “the audience”. Why is dance as a career or field of study so foreign to the general public? The dance audience has been conditioned to think of themselves as “outsiders” (by us). I would encourage you to flip the questions on them and see if this response is more educational and inclusive than a defensive approach. It’s also easier than trying to tell them what questions to ask because no matter how hard you try, Dancing with the Stars will make it’s way into a conversation. I don’t mind because it gives me the chance to share some of what I know about dance as an art.
I’m so agreed with you, but what you gonna do it. I think that the important thing here is how we feel about have a major on dance. The point is that is you feel happy having a major on dance you shouldnt care about what people thing about that, because that is a such good profession like anyother.